Princess or Pilot?
by Sapphire5
Summary: Finished. Denied the chance to fly Blue Lion as an equal to the other pilots, Allura demanded to know why. The answer put her at odds with Keith, and left her wondering where she stands as a member of the Voltron Force. Submission for the KAEX Challenge "Broken". One-shot.


Disclaimer: _Voltron: Defender of the Universe_ and its many incarnations are the property of World Event Productions and Toei Animation. All affiliated characters, events, and worlds belong to them, and are used here without permission. This is solely a not-for-profit fan endeavor.

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Warnings: Rated Fiction T. (I always rate my work Fiction T or up, whether it needs it or not.)

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Introduction: Finished. Denied the chance to fly Blue Lion as an equal to the other pilots, Allura demanded to know why. The answer put her at odds with Keith, and left her wondering where she stands as a member of the Voltron Force. Submission for the KAEX Challenge "Broken". One-shot.

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Author's Note: 6-7-14 My first-ever Voltron fan fiction! This is my response to the KAEX challenge "Broken". Thank-you so much to Paulina Ann for giving this a read before I posted and giving me the confidence boost I needed. (And a much-needed title!) I've been an established writer in two other fandoms so long, I forgot how nerve-wracking it can be to write and share something new! I'm a long-time fan of Voltron (which originally aired on my birthday- how cool is that?). I recently watched the series for the first time since its original TV run. It is truly amazing what sticks with you. Unbeknownst to me, Voltron has been a huge influence on my creative writing; it was eye-opening to see so many elements from my very diverse work in one place. TV really does influence kids! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story! ~Sapphire

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P.S. If you're wondering about all the dots, I've had formatting issues uploading to FFN for _years_. The dots were my solution to the problem. ~S

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Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Princess or Pilot?

By: Sapphire

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…...

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It felt delightfully exciting to be sneaking through the castle in the dead of night. Well, not sneaking, exactly. Security surveillance was everywhere, and anyone on duty in the control room would know she was wandering, but it _felt_ like sneaking since the three people she needed to avoid didn't know what she was up to. Certainly Nanny wouldn't approve of her nighttime wandering, nor would Coran. As for the third person, she'd think about that when she reached her destination.

The door to castle control was in sight. Allura's steps quickened, and she slipped quietly inside. The room was brightly lit, compared to the corridors, thanks to the myriad of glowing screens and displays. The room wasn't empty, but then, it never was because someone was always on duty, day or night. Tonight Pidge sat at the controls, oblivious to everything but the monitors.

"I thought you went to bed hours ago, Princess," Pidge said by way of greeting. Correction: Pidge wasn't oblivious, he was _focused_. Allura realized she should have known better. The members of the Voltron Force took their jobs very seriously. The fact that she'd forgotten that, even for a moment, only illustrated her need to get away.

"I couldn't sleep," Allura responded. "I'm taking Blue Lion out for a little while. I need some time and space to think."

"Take Blue Lion out? In the middle of the night?" Pidge was surprised. "I don't think Keith would like it."

"I don't care what Keith likes or doesn't like. I'm going out in Blue Lion." Allura met Pidge's gaze with determination.

"It's not safe for you to go out alone," Pidge said, trying to stand firm against her acting on what he believed was a bad idea.

"Oh, Pidge," Allura sighed, exasperated. "Nanny is always fretting over my safety whenever I fly, but in truth, I couldn't be safer. With Blue Lion, I have the teeth and claws to defend myself."

"I don't think I should let you," Pidge said with a sympathetic look.

"You don't have a choice, Pidge," Allura told him resolutely. "Raise the dais." Pidge took a long moment, but he gave in and acquiesced. Allura stood back and watched with satisfaction as the dais rose. She took one step forward, then paused. "And Pidge?" she called up to him.

"Yes, Princess?" Pidge asked hesitantly.

"You won't tell anyone I'm out unless it's a real emergency, will you?" Allura asked uncertainly. Pidge sighed, giving in to this, too.

"All right, Princess. I won't tell," Pidge agreed. "But I'll have to report it to Keith in the morning," he warned.

"Of course," Allura agreed. "All I want is to get away and find some peace and quiet. It doesn't matter who knows about it after the fact."

"Promise me you'll keep all communication channels open," Pidge insisted.

"I promise," Allura said, "as long as you promise not to eavesdrop." Allura blushed a little. "Sometimes I talk to myself," she admitted a little sheepishly. "It helps to think out loud."

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about," Pidge said, a little more relaxed now. "Hunk says I mutter to myself whenever I'm really absorbed in something. Besides, verbalizing helps you organize your thoughts." Allura smiled.

"Thanks, Pidge," she said. "It's nice to know someone understands." Pidge nodded, and Allura headed for the door labeled with a number four and rode the t-bar down to the transport that would take her to Blue Lion.

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…...

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There was something…therapeutic about putting Blue Lion through its paces. From time to time Allura felt she needed to prove to herself that she belonged in Blue's cockpit. She pushed Blue to the limit, diving and dodging and weaving through the rocks and canyons of the desert landscape. Eventually, the exertion burned off the lingering frustration of earlier in the day, and Allura was ready to think. Turning Blue back to the west, Allura made for Crown Mountain where she landed Blue Lion on a rock outcrop high up the mountainside.

Crown Mountain didn't seem like a place for quiet reflection, but for her it was. There had once been a village on Crown Mountain, but one of Zarkon's robeasts had decimated it, and the few survivors had chosen to abandon the settlement. Some might view the location as a sad reminder of what Arus had lost to Planet Doom. Allura saw it as a reminder of why she was doing all that she was doing to fight King Zarkon and his horrible son, Prince Lotor. Viewing the village ruins often put things into perspective for her.

Looking down at the abandoned ruins, Allura suddenly felt like she needed fresh air. Getting up from her seat, she opened the hatch in the top of the lion's head, and climbed up to the top. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the crisp, cold mountain air. She felt better already. Allura knew she'd get cold if she stayed out too long, but she needed to be out in the open for a few minutes, at least.

"Oh, how lovely," Allura said to herself as she lay flat on her back, stretching out in a very unladylike way that would probably horrify Nanny. The stars were so bright, seemed so close, way up here. She had never been up here at night before, but she decided she would have to come again.

Arus' natural beauty wasn't enough to hold her attention long, however. As she'd predicted, the cold was soon getting to her, and it was time to go back inside the climate-controlled cockpit. With a sigh, Allura rose stiffly to her feet, and climbed back down through the hatch.

"Oh, Blue," Allura sighed, sitting back in her seat, gently running her hand over the controls in front of her. "I'm just as competent a pilot as the rest of the Voltorn Force. Why won't Keith acknowledge that? Why won't he let me test my capabilities? I know I can do it. Look at our flight here, Blue! In the dark, too!" Allura sighed again.

Keith had made it very clear that when she was flying with the Voltron Force he was the commander and she was his subordinate, not the royal princess of Arus. Allura was fine with that- so long as he treated her like he treated the boys. Today it became clear that he didn't. Keith and the boys had each taken turns running a dangerous maneuver, but when it was Allura's turn, Keith had called it a day. Allura had protested, but Keith was adamant that she wouldn't ever take the point position in that maneuver, and denied her the chance to show what she could do. When she'd asked him why, he'd told her that he couldn't put Arus' _princess_ in such a dangerous position. She'd been furious.

"If he'd thought I wasn't ready for that maneuver as a pilot, I would have understood," Allura said aloud. "I'm well aware I don't have the experience the others have, but that wasn't it at all." Allura was suddenly fuming all over again. "As my friend, I thought Keith understood that. As my commander, I thought he knew better than to make judgments based on my royal station, rather than what's best for the team."

Allura pounded her fist into the arm of the pilot seat twice in frustration. Then she slumped forward, leaning over the controls, burying her face in the crook of her arm. She wasn't sure which felt worse; the fact that Keith had given her a very public dressing down for her insubordination, or the fact that perhaps he wasn't the friend she'd thought he was.

"Keith was so angry, Blue," Allura said softly with a sniffle. "I could tell, and when he dismissed me… It's like something between us broke, and I don't know if I can fix it."

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…...

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Flying the black lion had become more of a reflex than conscious thought. That was a good thing, Keith reflected, since his mind was somewhere other than on piloting Black Lion at the moment. He was consumed with something he rarely ever did; questioning his own actions.

He was right to reprimand Allura for insubordination; that he was sure of. He couldn't lead the Voltron Force if the other members didn't trust his judgment. Allura had openly questioned his decision to keep her from taking point position in the new maneuvers they were practicing. Even that didn't bother him nearly so much as when she'd proceeded to argue with him after making clear he stood firm in his decision. The argument which had ensued hadn't been pretty. She'd invoked her rank as Princess of Arus, and he'd leveraged his rank as Commander of the Voltron Force against her.

When they parted, they weren't on speaking terms. Not even that made him question his decision, though it didn't exactly sit well with him. What made him question was what happened after he'd dismissed Allura and she'd left.

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_ "You could have handled that better," Lance said grimly. Pidge nodded sadly. Hunk just shook his head at Keith in disappointment._

_ "If the princess wants to be a part of this team, she's got to learn to follow orders," Keith retorted. "She has to understand she can't pull rank on me when she doesn't like how I do things. I'm not going to give her special treatment because she's a princess."_

_ "She's not asking for you to give her special treatment," Lance argued defensively. "I'm not asking you to, either, but you can't exactly treat her like you treat us, Keith."_

_ "This isn't the time to be funny, Lance," Keith said, irritated by the contradiction._

_ "It's not a joke!" Lance insisted. "Princess doesn't need or want special treatment, but you have to remember, she isn't like us. She doesn't have the military training we do. Allura doesn't separate Commander Keith from Keith her friend. Think about what that means. You didn't dress down an errant subordinate, Keith, you crushed the confidence of your friend." Disgusted, Lance stalked out, not looking behind him even once. Pidge and Hunk silently followed Lance out, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Keith was left standing there, alone, to contemplate what Lance had said. _

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Keith hadn't had a moment's peace since. He'd come to the conclusion that Lance was right; he'd handled the situation very badly. As a commander, he'd handled the situation by the book. His mistake was that Allura wasn't in the service of the Galaxy Alliance. Keith just hoped Lance wasn't right about the other thing, that he'd damaged her self-confidence. That certainly hadn't been his intention.

"Wait," Keith muttered aloud, his attention suddenly caught by something he hadn't expected to see while patrolling tonight. "Is that one of the lions?" Keith guided Black Lion closer to the mountain he was passing, and sure enough, the shadow he'd seen really was one of the lions. Instinct told him it was the blue lion. If Allura had taken the blue lion out without telling him, then she was more upset that he'd thought. He had to put things right, and he may as well do it now.

"Commander Keith to Blue Lion," he said over the open channel. "Princess, I know you're there." He waited a long moment, guiding Black into a circling pattern while he prepared to land.

"Yes, Commander?" Allura's voice finally answered, a tiny hint of inflection on the word 'commander' meant to emphasize where they stood with one another, which didn't escape his notice. It also didn't escape his notice that she chose to answer him on an audio channel, while she could see him on her vid screen over a live feed channel.

"You and I need to talk," Keith said neutrally. "Face to face," he added. "I'm going to land Black Lion. I'll see you outside in a few minutes."

"Yes, Commander," the princess responded, and Keith could once again hear the tiny emphasis on the word. He cut the live feed, then allowed himself a worried scowl as he prepared to land.

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…...

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Allura was waiting for him by the time Keith was on the ground. Even from a distance, he could feel the unapproachable aura she was giving off. Clearly she was still angry. For the second time that day Keith found himself questioning himself. Perhaps he should have let her cool off a little more before talking to her.

"I can guess why you're out here in Blue Lion without alerting me, so I won't ask," Keith said once he'd joined her. The princess said nothing, but watched him warily in the dim light, Keith having had the foresight to turn on one of Black Lion's exterior lights. "I think we should talk about what happened this morning," he said.

"Yesterday morning," the princess corrected. Keith checked his watch. She was right.

"Yesterday morning," he agreed.

"I've been thinking a lot about it, and I've decided I will make this simple for both of us," Allura said. "I apologize for arguing with you in front of the others yesterday morning. I should have requested a private conference before asking why you chose to exclude me from the new training. My actions have made things uncomfortable for the team. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Keith was so surprised by her apology, he almost didn't catch her when she spun on her heel and walked away.

"Wait," Keith said, following her, catching her by the arm. She froze, but didn't look up at him. "Tell me, Princess, why does it bother you so much that I didn't allow you to take point position yesterday?"

"I know I'm not as good as you or Lance or Pidge or Hunk or Sven," Allura answered slowly, "but I do know I'm a _good_ pilot. _You_ taught me. I only wish you would make your decisions based on that, rather than my status as the Princess of Arus."

"You're not just a good pilot, Princess," Keith said honestly, "you're an excellent pilot. Don't think for a minute that you aren't." He certainly hadn't forgotten what Lance had said about hurting her sense of confidence. "You've learned everything we've taught you as quickly as you have because you're a natural. If you had gone through the Academy, you'd have graduated at the top of your class."

"If that's what you think, then why wasn't I included in the training yesterday?" Allura asked, turning to look up at him. Keith saw traces of tears on her face and knew she'd been crying recently. He felt awful because he knew he had caused them.

"Because I can't let you do something that risky," Keith told her.

"Because I'm the princess?" Allura asked quietly. Keith nodded. Allura forcibly pulled her arm from his grasp and stepped back away from him. "You're reasoning is lacking, Commander." There was that awful sounding emphasis on that word again. Keith cringed internally. "Not allowing me to train is a waste of my talents as a pilot, and you know it," Allura accused. "It's also putting the entire team at risk. What if that maneuver is the only way to get out of some dire situation and I'm the only one in a position to take point?"

"If things ever come to that, we'd be better off forming Voltron," Keith countered.

"What if we can't?" Allura questioned. "What if Lance or Hunk or Pidge or even you were neutralized? What then?"

"Allura," Keith cautioned her, not liking the way she was backing him into a corner with her words.

"No," she said, not relenting. "Voltron is the best line of defense Arus has against Zarkon's forces. The more weapons we have in our arsenal, the better our chances."

"I know that, but-" Keith began.

"I realize no one seems to like thinking about the possibility of my death, but I think about it," Allura interrupted. "Arus would survive without me, as long as my planet has Voltron. Why do you think I'm so determined to do my best as the pilot of Blue Lion?" Keith was rendered speechless. She was forcing him to contemplate a situation he'd rather not think about, and he could feel her eyes boring into him for a long time before she turned to walk away.

"Allura, wait," Keith somehow managed to find his voice, catching her by the shoulder this time. She stopped but didn't turn around. "Losing you isn't an option." The princess didn't say anything, but she didn't move, which Keith considered a good sign. "When we accepted you as the pilot of Blue Lion I made a promise that I'd never let anything happen to you," he said. He didn't think he needed to tell her that the person he'd made that promise to was himself.

"I'm sorry, Keith, but it was a foolish promise to make," Allura said, trying to walk away again. Keith gripped her shoulder tighter, holding her back.

"It's a promise I intend to keep, no matter what," he said.

"I see," she said dully, trying to shrug off his grip.

"I don't think you do," Keith returned, turning her so she was forced to face him. "Voltron might be the best chance Arus has against Zarkon's forces, but you're the best chance Arus has of being great again once Zarkon is gone." Allura's blue eyes widened in surprise. "I'm always going to consider that when I make decisions involving you. Can you live with that? Do you think you can take orders without a fight now that you know that?"

"Yes," Allura answered, sounding a little breathless.

"Good," Keith said, feeling exceedingly relieved, "and you were right," he admitted, albeit a little reluctantly. "It _is_ a waste of your talents to keep you from training like the rest of us. I lost sight of how competent a pilot you are, and that isn't fair to you or the team. In the morning, you'll be flying point."

"Oh, thank-you!" Allura exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in an exuberant hug, catching Keith by surprise. Without thinking, he closed his arms around her tight, holding her close for a long moment. "You won't regret changing your mind," Allura assured him.

"I know I won't," Keith agreed gruffly, letting her go as she pulled away. He quietly cleared his throat. "We'd better head back to the castle. Morning comes early when you're up this late. I should know." Allura laughed, well aware that he could frequently be found up late doing paperwork. Hearing that sound made him feel like something… clicked back together somehow.

"I'll race you home," Allura challenged playfully, suddenly full of exuberant energy. It was catching, Keith thought.

"You're on!" Keith agreed, already running for Black Lion, which was a good thing since she was already running for Blue.

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…...

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The End

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End file.
